Stuck on gift ideas for the outdoorsy person in your life? Don’t know where to begin looking? It can be daunting shopping for an avid outdoor activity fanatic; there are stacks of options in the marketplace. Before you resort to the reliable-but-boring gift card option, check out these suggestions for the perfect outdoor enthusiast gift.

While the decision to buy a bicycle isn’t even close to level of commitment as buying a house or getting married, it still warrants a bit of thought before diving in. If you’ve never considered getting a bike before, especially if your focus is on fitness, then it can seem like each new piece of information leads to further questions. But don’t get discouraged! Here’s a few tips to point you in the right direction.

The gym business hasn’t changed dramatically over the past 20 years, though we’ve certainly seen an evolution. Gyms are better at catering to different groups of potential customers, as many have added classes that appeal to women and men, and mixed things up with yoga, pilates and other options. Nutrition is also an area that gets more attention in gyms as well.

It’s on the marketing side where we’re seeing some big changes and opportunities for gym owners that are in tune with social media and see the potential to create a real online community. Facebook and Twitter should be a part of every gym owner’s strategy to market the gym. With these tools, your best and loyal customers can become evangelists for your gym, and then you can push out cool photos, workout ideas, class schedules etc that these people can then share with their friends. You’ll reach more people and build more customer loyalty.

This works best when you couple this with traditional methods like advertising and brochures. Gym owners can use online printing to reduce their costs by printing brochures online at UPrinting or other venders on the web. You can also use modern computer programs to effectively track all your customer memberships, and you should definitely use email blasts as well.

The bottom line is that you can run and promote a gym these days that makes your operation much more efficient.

Here’s something you need to know about: Could we be seeing the beginning of the end of the modern running shoe? A growing legion of runners and recreational joggers—I am one—backed by a rising number of physiologists, believe that running shoes do more harm than good for millions of people. With their inflexibility, cushioning, and raised heels, they almost force you to crash down on your heel and send the impact of all your weight in every step straight into your knees and hips. That’s not how our bodies were designed to work, and it does terrible harm.

These shoes are not for everyone. You really need to consult your doctor and see whether this new style of running and new gear makes sense for you.